1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body, wherein a head-protecting air bag body accommodated along a pillar portion and a roof side rail portion unfolds similarly to a curtain due to gas jetted by an inflator when a predetermined high load acts on a side portion of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been proposed a head-protecting air bag device in which, in order to improve the ability to protect the head of a vehicle occupant seated in a front seat when a predetermined high load acts on a side portion of a vehicle body, an air bag body accommodated in a folded state over a region from a front pillar portion to a roof side rail portion is caused to unfold along a side window glass similarly to a curtain. This type of head-protecting air bag device is disclosed in International Publication No. WO 96/26087 and will be described hereinafter.
As shown in FIG. 9, a head-protecting air bag device 100 is structured to include, as main components, an elongated duct 106 disposed to extend from a front pillar portion 102 to a roof side rail portion 104, an air bag body 112 accommodated in the duct 106 in a folded manner and fixed to a vehicle body at a front-end fixed point 108 and at a rear-end fixed point 110, an inflator 116, which is connected via a hose 114 to the rear end of the duct 106 and jets out gas when a predetermined high load acts on the side portion of the vehicle body, and a band-shaped strap 118 whose one end is fixed to the vehicle body and other end is fixed to the rear end of the air bag body 112. The air bag body 112 is formed by a plurality of cells 120, which are each formed substantially into a cylinder and are disposed with the longitudinal directions thereof substantially coinciding with the vertical direction of the vehicle, being connected together.
According to the above-described structure, when a predetermined high load acts on the side portion of the vehicle body, gas is ejected from the inflator 116. The ejected gas flows into each cell 120 of the folded air bag body 112 via the hose 114 and the duct 106. As a result, each cell 120 expands substantially into a cylindrical configuration with the longitudinal direction thereof substantially coinciding with the vertical direction of the vehicle. The air bag body 112 is thereby inflated similarly to a curtain along a window glass 122. Further, the rear end of the air bag body 112 is connected via the strap 118 to the vehicle body, and therefore, the rear-end side of the air bag body 112 is reliably disposed at an inner side of the upper portion of a center pillar portion 124.
However, in this head-protecting air bag device 100, the air bag body 112 accommodated in the duct 106 in a folded state is disposed over a region from the front pillar portion 102 to the roof side rail portion 104, and therefore, the air bag body 112 is covered by, for example, a front pillar garnish and a roof head lining. As a result, when the air bag body unfolds, the front pillar garnish and the roof head lining deform, and the air bag body comes out from the respective deformed portions of the front pillar garnish and the roof head lining so as to expand toward the interior side of the vehicle. For this reason, in a case in which a sun visor or other interior equipment is provided in the vicinity of the front pillar garnish or the roof head lining, there is the possibility that the deformed portion of the front pillar garnish or the deformed portion of the roof head lining interferes with the sun visor or the other interior equipment such that the sun visor or other interior equipment is badly damaged due to the large load applied thereto.
In view of the above-described circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body, which can reduce damage caused to a sun visor or other interior equipment during expansion of an air bag body.
A first aspect of the present invention relates to a sun visor which is provided as an interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body which unfolds and forms an air-filled cushion in a region from a front pillar to a roof side rail. The sun visor is connected to a vehicle body via an arm and provided to be movable from an accommodated state, in which the sun visor is disposed along a vehicle transverse direction and near to a front end of a roof head lining and substantially parallel to the roof head lining, to at least one predetermined position for use. The sun visor is formed by a main body portion, which is, in the accommodated state of the sun visor, disposed further toward a vehicle-interior side than a point at which the arm is mounted to the vehicle body, and by an overhang portion which is, in the accommodated state of the sun visor, projects further toward a vehicle-exterior side than the mounting point of the arm, and when load of a predetermined value or more acts on the overhang portion, the overhang portion is easily deformable with respect to the main body portion.
Accordingly, even if, at the time of expansion of the air bag body, the roof head lining deforms and interferes with the overhang portion of the sun visor which is in an accommodated state, when the load acting on the overhang portion is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the overhang portion easily deforms with respect to the main body portion. As a result, load transmitted to the main body portion and the arm of the sun visor can be minimized, and damage to the sun visor can thereby be reduced.
A second aspect of the present invention is that a frame of the sun visor according to the first aspect is divided into two parts, one part being at the overhang portion and the other part being at the main body portion, and the two separated parts are partially connected to one another.
Accordingly, when load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the overhang portion via the roof head lining during expansion of the air bag body, the portion at which the frames for the overhang portion and the main body portion are connected together breaks so that load transmitted to the main body portion and to the arm can be minimized. For this reason, damage to the sun visor can be reduced by using a simple structure.
A third aspect of the present invention relates to roof head lining deformation limiting means which is provided as an interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body which expands similarly to a curtain in a region from a pillar to a roof side rail. The roof head lining deformation limiting means is provided at the roof side rail such that at the time of expansion of the air bag body, it restricts deformation of a roof head lining to reduce impact load acting on an interior equipment disposed in the vicinity of the roof head lining.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, deformation of the roof head lining is restricted by the roof head lining deformation limiting means during expansion of the air bag body, so that the impact load acting on the interior equipment disposed in the vicinity of the roof head lining can be reduced. Accordingly, damage caused to the sun visor or other interior equipment at the time of expansion of the air bag body can be reduced.
A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to the roof head lining deformation limiting means according to the third aspect. The roof head lining deformation limiting means is an interior equipment of the roof side rail, which interior equipment is disposed at an intermediate portion of the roof side rail between a portion where the roof side rail is connected to a front pillar and a portion where the roof side rail is connected to a center pillar.
As a result, in addition to the effect obtained by the third aspect, there is an advantage in that a reduction in cost can be achieved because no specially provided roof head lining deformation limiting means is required.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is that the interior equipment of the roof side rail according to the fourth aspect is fixed to an energy absorbing member disposed at the roof side rail, the energy absorbing member being associated with a corresponding energy absorption space.
As a result, in addition to the effect obtained by the fourth aspect, there is an advantage in that, even if the head of a vehicle occupant hits the interior equipment in a collision, the energy absorbing member plastically deforms to lessen the impact on the head of the vehicle occupant.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is that the interior equipment of the roof side rail according to the fourth aspect is an assist grip and a high rigidity seating is provided around a cushion which is made of resin and used to fix the assist grip to a vehicle body.
As a result, concentration of load at a fixing portion of the assist grip, which load concentration is caused by deformation of the roof head lining during expansion of the air bag body, can be received by a high rigidity seating so as to prevent transmission of load to the cushion made of resin. For this reason, damage to the cushion made of resin can be prevented.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is that the interior equipment of the roof side rail according to the fourth aspect is a card holder and the card holder is a resin molded product and includes a high rigidity insert.
As a result, concentration of load at a fixing portion of the card holder, which load concentration is caused by deformation of the roof head lining during expansion of the air bag body, can be received by a high rigidity insert. For this reason, damage to the card holder can be prevented.